Kingdom Hearts: Another Story To Be Told
by Flames-the-Rabbit344
Summary: Because there's always another story. Megan and her friends just wanted to see other worlds, but in one fateful night they're separated and spirited away -- into an adventure and struggle they've never imagined...
1. Other Worlds

*yawns* Yes, yes, I _know_ that I should be writing Sonic Underground: 25 Years Later and Passion of the Hedgehog, but I've hit a shortage of inspiration.

And since I've recently beaten Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (the ending was gravity-defyingly awesome!), I've decided to write a KH fic! The main cast will be my OCs, but secondary cast is a massive crossover with a bunch of shows and books I like, and so on.

Also, I was in a random mood, so I've been putting together a sort of soundtrack for the fic (something that my friend Beth indirectly gave me the idea for). The story's main theme (like how most actual KH games have "Passion"/"Sanctuary") is "Under the Sky" by Sayaka Minami.

So, without further a due, here beith thine premiere chapter~!

I own all of the characters in this chapter, except one, and I do not own the plot I'm basing this off of, or many characters that will appear later.

* * *

_{"They say… that every darkness still holds a burning light… and every light still has a speck of darkness."}_

Chapter I: Other Worlds

14-year-old Kyle Sholtz stifled a yawn as he prodded at a leisurely pace down the dusty path of Franklin Town; a city with little to say for itself, but one that he had grown to enjoy living in. He paused for a moment, to heave his heavy, slipping-off backpack up onto his shoulders again.

As he reached the end of the path, he held one hand up to protect his eyes from the bright sunlight the reflected from the soft, pale sand. Kyle scanned the wind-swept beach before him, and chuckled softly to himself.

The brunette boy bounded his way down the sloping dot of coast that bordered the edge of town. He slip his pack from his shoulders, and let it hit the sand with a muffled _thump_.

The honey-haired girl, napping passively on the ground, sniffed a little and blinked lingering sleep from her bright eyes. Kyle smirked a little smirk.

"Megan," he scolded with a little _tsk_. "I _knew_ I'd find you snoozing here." Megan yawned and pushed her body into a _technically_ upright position. She shook her head furiously, and brushed her hair from her eyes.

"What-what?" she stuttered a little. "It-it was like this-this black thing… and it swallowed me up…" Kyle laughed as he started un-packing his bag's contents. He leaned over and gave Megan a gentle knock on the head.

"Wake up, Meg!" he reminded her. "Are you still dreaming?" Megan shook her head wearily, trying to clear it.

"S-sorry." She fumbled over her words as they left her mouth. "Let's just get to work."

"Let's." Kyle agreed. "But we better wait for Emily. You don't want a repeat of last time, do you?" Megan somehow managed to scoff at Kyle's teasing and grimaced at the memory, all in one twitch of the face. Levelheaded, "kind and cruel" Emily could be very dangerous, simply because she could make any bad thing (or good thing, for that matter) seem still more horrible in a few choice words.

It was five or so minutes later, when a tousled-haired, 15-year-old redhead with a grin and a twinkle in her eyes stumbled down the beach, kicking up handfuls of sand as she did so. She skidded to a disheveled stop before Kyle and Megan. "Well, you're early!" She quipped breathlessly. Kyle rolled his eyes.

"No, you're just late." He corrected her. Emily waved her hand in some vague, dismissing gesture.

"Nah uh. I'm _always _on time. The _rest_ of the world's just early. Do you want to get this raft finished or not?" she said, placing a slender hand on her bony hip.

* * *

Megan grunted as she and Emily pulled their crude working of a raft from the nook they had stored it in a few days before. She cast an aside glance to her resolute companion. "So, do you really think there are actually going to be other worlds out there?" She started, trying to seem casual.

Emily shrugged, although her strong gaze never wavered. "God only knows." She said plainly. "Only one way to find out, right?" Megan nodded numbly. Emily shot an indirect glance at Kyle. "Maybe… when we're out there, we'll find _his_ world too…" Megan nodded, remembering clearly the day when a scared, bruised castaway named Kyle had shown up in Franklin with no explanation that anyone could give.

Megan smiled a weak, hopeful smile as she stepped away from the makeshift raft. "How far do you think this is going to get us, anyway?"

Emily gazed at it with almost dark determination. "We can't be sure." She said at last. "If we have to, we'll find another way." She pumped her fist firmly. "We're gonna make it, though. I know we will."

Kyle laughed as he sewed another stitch into the raft's soon-to-be sail. "If you're quite down being over-dramatic…"

Emily decided to ignore that remark.

* * *

Kyle hissed as his needle slipped and he pricked his finger for the umpteenth time, but then gave a solemn glance to the brilliant scarlet the sky had become. He looked over at Megan and Emily, who were struggling fruitlessly to keep the raft's mast upright. "Hey, you guys! It getting late!"

Emily nodded and, with a sighed, Megan set the mast down sideways on the raft. "Man, are we ever going to get this finished?" the honey-blonde asked quietly. Emily gave her a firm smack on the back.

Megan winced. "Hey! What was that for?"

Her redheaded friend giggled, and gave Megan's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Man, don't be such a downer. Give it few more days! And a steadier mast…" she insisted. Megan gave a tiny, tight smile.

"If you say so."

* * *

Megan hummed a little song with no words as she trotted down the eastward path leading back the central part of Franklin Town. She stopped and turned a little at a shout of her name.

Something yellow and star-shaped flew through the air and landed lightly, right in Megan's hands. She blinked as she examined it.

It was a fruit of some sort, with a smooth yellow skin, and a few tuffs of leaves on the "points" of its star-like shape. Megan glanced quizzically up at Emily, who approached with a confident step and a little hint of a sneer.

"It's a paopu fruit." She explained. "I snatched it from the marketplace." She gave Megan a little flick on the nose as she pasted her. "The folk tale says—"

"I _know_ what is says." Megan informed her impatiently. Emily sniffed a little, but continued on.

"Well, you wanted one, didn't you?" Emily gave her a lopsided grin. Megan made a little 'um' sound. The older of the two laughed a little and shook her head. "You haven't figured it out yet?" She gave her friend a good-natured punch in the arm. "It's for Kyle."

Megan found herself unable to choose between sarcasm and utter denial.

"Y'know, you better hurry up…" Emily teased as she fiddled idly with one of the paopu's leaves. "'Cause, if you don't, I will."

Megan blinked in a taken-back way, before managing to say, "_What_?" Emily laughed and ran off, giving her friend a little wave as she did.

Megan grumbled a little to herself, rolling her eyes as she continued along the path. "Meh, who does she think is, anyway?"

Megan tucked the paopu into the front pocket of her backpack as she walked off.

* * *

13-year-old Delaney Jacobson dashed wildly, and as quickly as she could, through the palace's royal gardens. "Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man, oh, man…" She muttered in a panicking voice as she pushed aside branches and kicked rocks from her path. "Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man… _Ruby_!!"

The alarmed girl halted, panting, before her longhaired friend, who was leaning up against a squat stone fence, dreamily admiring the magnificent rose beds, twirling a white rose petal in one hand. She swung her head around to get a look at the worn-out brunette. "Oh, hello, Delaney!" Ruby said with a cheery smile.

Delaney dismissed her greeting without a thought. "Ruby, oh, there's no time! It's serious, really serious!" Ruby blinked, and pushed a strand of her hair away and tucked in behind her ear.

"What is?"

"Oh, it's, it's… Well, for one thing, it's _top-secret_! We can't tell anyone about this?"

Ruby tipped her head in surprise. "Sir Noah?" She squeaked. Delaney shook her head vigorously. _How_ could Ruby be so carefree?

"Definitely not Noah!" She demanded. Ruby eyes widened a little. Sir Noah was the captain of the royal guards! Everything that could pose a threat was told to him immediately.

"Blaze?" Ruby choked a little.

"Not even the princess!" Delaney was aware she was yelling at this point, but she didn't care. "You won't believe this, but the—"

"Girls, why all the commotion?" A soft, but firm voice asked form behind. Delaney eyes burst open, and she very slowly turned around.

There was none other the Princess Blaze herself, and the captain of the guards with her, at that.

"Oh, good afternoon, Your Majestism!" Ruby said cheerfully.

* * *

And, there you have it, folks!

And, yes, I named a character after myself. Deal with it.

And, while we're on the subject of Kingdom Hearts, there's a new trailer out for Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep! And it's awesome!

-Flames-the-Rabbit344, signing off! (Yes, I've shortened my chapter-ending phrase. Deal with that, too.)


	2. Calling

{_The only way to know how hard a journey is, is to start it a see for yourself._}

Chapter II: Calling

"Oh, my…" Noah covered his mouth in surprise.

He, Princess Blaze, Delaney, and Ruby had moved to the palace library. Blaze gazed wearily at the letter Delaney had shown her. "Then… the prince is gone?"

Delaney nodded sadly. "I had just gone in to say my morning greetings, and he had already left…" She turned and patted a little blue Chao that was floating beside her on the head. "Cheese here was holding the letter."

"What does it say?" Noah inquired, leaning in a little to see it. The princess gently unfolded the letter, and read it aloud…

_Dear 'Laney,_

_Sorry to be leaving with such little good-bye, but it seems trouble's coming, and I have to see for myself._

_The stars have been blinking out, one by one, and I don't know why. So I'm heading out._

_Delaney, tell Blazie not to worry and that I'm sorry. _

_I need you to do something for me._

_You and Ruby, head to Knothole Village, and look for a man named Manic. He'll help you. _

_You see, you need to find someone. The girl with a key… A key to our survival!_

_With out the key, we're doomed. _

_-Prince Silver_

Blaze stopped reading reading and blinked confusedly. "Knothole?"

"Another world?" Sir Noah wondered out loud. Blaze shook her head unsurely.

Oh, dear. What does this mean?"

* * *

Megan yawned, and rolled over in her bed to glance out the window. She could see the little Franklin Town beach way off in the distance. She sighed and fiddled with the star-shaped fruit in her hand. "Poapu fruit…" she muttered.

She jadedly tossed the fruit across the room, where it bounced off the wall, and landed on a pile of clothes. "Yeah, right. What a fairy tale…"

She yawned and pulled her blanket up over her. "Goodnight!"

* * *

Emily scowled at nothing, her eyes blank, dark and staring forward, into the distance. Her hand was gripping the railing of her balcony so tightly, her knuckles were turning white.

"The door… has opened."

* * *

It was early the next morning, and Kyle heaved the finally finished sail up into his arms. "That Megan… Where is she? She better not be slacking off again." He huffed and stormed of to look.

Emily, sharpening a stick with her pocketknife, glanced up and smirked to herself.

* * *

Megan gave a little smile as strode through the jagged, old cave she had found, tuck snuggly into the rocky, well, rocks by the water. She had been coming to this spot for years, and the walls were coated with scribbled scrawling.

"_This is my and Emily's secret spot! No one else is allowed to come here!_

"_Whoa, that's neat!"_

"_I let you see 'cause your special, Kyle!"_

Megan giggled to herself at the memory, and knelt down beside an old drawing near the base of the cave wall. It was a crude little drawing of her and Kyle that the two of them had scratched into the wall years ago.

She smiled a little as she picked up a sharp rock lying on the damp floor, and set to work with it on the wall.

She sat there for several minutes, and it probably would have been longer, except…

"The door has opened."

Megan's head jerked up in surprise, at the sound of the voice. She stood up, her rock clattering loudly to the ground, and turned towards the voices source.

There stood a man, ten or twenty years older than her, by the looks of it. A black hooded cloak hid his face.

"But," the mystery man continued. "Can you see what is beyond it?"

Megan tipped her head to one side. "Wh-what?" she asked. The man laughed.

"You could you, anyway? You simply don't understand… Just don't know…" Megan narrowed her eyes. Who was this creep, anyway?

"Yeah? Well, I'm get away form here, and learn what's out there!" she proclaimed, driving the point home with a steely nod.

"Heh, heh… A futile effort, if noble. One who knows nothing can understand… nothing." Megan growled a little. Then, she paused, and gave a curious blink.

"Hey, you. Where'd you come from, anyway?" The figure didn't responded, didn't move, and didn't even seem to be breathing…

"Megan!!" An angry voice hurtled through the tunnel leading from the main part of the cave.

"Ah, Kyle!" Megan shrieked in surprise. She glanced back at the man, and flinched in surprise.

Just like that, he was gone.

Kyle slipped into the cave. "There you are, you slacker! Come one, the rafts nearly done! We have to prepare for our trip!" He yanked Megan by her wrist, and headed back towards the tunnel.

"But- I- Kyle- come on!" Megan sputtered as her friend dragged her along.

In his frustration, Kyle never noticed the tiny drawing, one of a hand holding a Paopu fruit, extending between the two tiny sketches in the back corner of the cave.

* * *

"So," Kyle explained. "We leave tomorrow. So, you two get a good nights rest, and be sure your packed!"

"Right!" cheered Megan.

"See you tomorrow." Emily grinned.

* * *

"Right, then…" Megan fumbled around her room, as she stuffed this thing and that thing into her backpack. "Change of clothes, snacks, umbrella…"

_Kracka-BOOM!_

At a sudden echo of thunder, Megan flinched and jumped in surprise. The honey-blonde ran to the tiny round window above her bed. A frightening storm was raging outside. The main part of town seemed spared, but it was really coming down on the beach and outskirts.

"Ah, man. Megan bit her lower lip. "The _last _thing we need is to lose the raft in some dumb storm!" She turned and glanced nervously at the hall, in which she could here her mother gabbing on the phone with a friend. Her mother, who would not take kindly to her daughter slipping out because of a "childish" exploration attempt.

"Ah, hell with it." Megan decided, as she unlatched her window and yanked it open. "You only go around once in life!"

* * *

Our blonde-haired hero dashed huffing down the beach slope, and slid to a halt as she noticed a few dark shapes against the pale storm-torn sand. "Wait that's… Emily's backpack? And are those Kyle's shoes?" she held up a hand to keep sand from blowing into her eyes. "They're here, too?"

Just then, she noticed, off in the distance, outlined against the sand, Emily, standing rigid beside the wild waves of the sea.

* * *

"Well, I guess you two'll be off then," Princess Blaze tried to smile a little. "Tart will be accompanying you, as my royal chronicler."

Delaney flinched as a little, ferret-like creature hopped up on top her brown ponytail. She waved her hands around him angrily. "Hey, get off my head!" She shouted.

Tart leaped down on the polished marble floor, and gave a little bow (as much a fairyish ferret could). "Greetings, ladies. Tart, at your service."

Sir Noah tried not to laugh at the scene. "Well, good luck, you three!"

* * *

"So, your world disappeared, too, huh?" Ruby asked Tart, who was clinging to her arm, as the two made there way down a long flight of stairs.

"Yeah," Tart sighed. "I just hope Love got out okay." Delaney cleared her throat loudly, getting the second-in-command of the royal guard and the chronicler ferret's attention.

"You know, when we're out there, in other worlds, we can let on to where we're from." She began.

"That's right. We got to protect the world border." Ruby agreed cheerfully. Delaney smiled a little and rolled her eyes.

"The "order"." She corrected.

* * *

Well, that may have been a weird place to stop, but this chapter was getting rather little long and cluttered…

Anyhow, Megan, Kyle, Emily, Ruby, and Delaney all belong to me.

Blaze and Silver belong to SEGA.

Tart belongs to whoever made the Pretty Cure series (Toei Animation?)

The Kingdom Hearts series belongs to Square Enix, and Tetsuya Nomura.

-Flames-the-Rabbit344, signing off!


	3. Torn Heart

{_So many ups and downs… My heart's a battleground_}

Chapter III: Torn Heart

"Emily!" Megan called out to her friend as she hastened down the slope of the beach.

As her feet slapped the sand, a small black creature rise the ground before her, and Megan stifled a scream. The creature leapt at her, and Megan sprung to one side as it swiped its tiny claws. She picked up a stick lying on the ground and tried to knock it away, but it was like hitting air.

Another Shadow popped up from the sand-coated ground, and then another. Megan cursed to herself as she pushed them aside, or tried to, making her way towards the waters edge. "Emily!" she cried once more.

Emily, ever so slowly, turned towards her. Megan nearly flinched at the dark expression on the redhead's face.

"The door… has opened." She said slowly, enunciating each word carefully. Megan blinked.

"Wh-what?"

Emily didn't respond. She just held out her hand to Megan, smirking, as darkness erupted from the ground around the two.

"Emily!" Megan struggle her way through the shadowy tendrils, reaching out desperately to grab a hold of Emily's hand. Emily, on the over end of the spectrum, seemed strikingly calm.

"This is it, Megan. We're free; free to go where we please. We not get home again, but I don't care. I'm not afraid to the darkness!"

A lot of things happened in the next few seconds. Megan just barely managed to touch Emily hand, just as the darkness completely obscured her vision. She couldn't feel Emily's hand under hers anymore, and she felt herself falling. A sudden brilliance of light completely blinded her for a moment, and she thought she heard a boy's yell.

Megan woke up, lying on the soft beach sand, just in time to roll out of the way of another Shadow's attack. She jumped to her feet immediately, and kicked the Shadow away. But it came right back.

_Kyle_, was the first thought that came to Megan's mind as she tore her way through Shadow after Shadow. Instinctively, if nothing else, she found herself dashing for cover to the secret cave among the rocks.

"Kyle!" Megan called out as she pushed her way through the tunnel. Strangely, few Shadows seemed to follow her through here.

True enough, as Megan emerged in the tiny cave, her brunette friend was standing off to the side, in front of a door set into the rocks that Megan had never seen there before. "This world has been connected…" Kyle muttered in a dazed, melancholic manner.

He turned his head to look at Megan, who noticed that Kyle looked pale, and quite unwell. Kyle made to take a step towards her, but just then, the door in the stone completely burst opened, a powerful gale hurling through it, and nock Kyle off his feet.

Megan tried to grab his hand, but a bright candor completely covered everything, Kyle disappeared, and Megan felt herself be pushed back.

* * *

"What just–Aaah!" Megan screeched in surprise and horror. The town, the ocean the beach–all of it, gone! The only thing left was a few sandy chunks of land, floating in complete nothing.

A dark blot slowly formed on the fragment of earth, with grew and pushed itself upward until a massive beast stood before her. It looked vaguely like a Shadow, but huge and completely monstrous.

Megan didn't bother muffling her scream as she dashed towards the edge of the platform. Maybe there was another one, a bit lower she could jump to…

No, nothing. Just pure, endless nothing. She was trapped.

With that thing.

She spun to face it, and mentally calculated her odds of beating it. Scratch that. It was now the odds of her beating it, and a few dozen Shadows.

Megan cowered in fear as a Shadow dove towards her.

Then, a bright light flashed from nowhere–something that Megan was actually starting to get used to. As the light cleared, she did, however, jump in surprise as she noticed the thing that had suddenly appeared in her hand.

It appeared to be a weapon of some sort, and vaguely shaped like a key. A hand guard looped around where she held it, the end of the circle sweeping away in a curly-Q. A long gold shaft, which looked like several lengths of its material twisted together, rose from the top of the loop. Two short, sickle-like blades jutted out of the top, one engraved with a heart and the other with a slash-like mark, forming the "teeth" of the key-shape. A thin, clicking chain hung form the hand guard, and a little glass charm of a puzzle piece was clipped onto the edge.

Inexplicably, a whisper of _Serene Grace_ echoed through Megan's mind.

A wave of Shadows, on after the other, moved forward to strike at her, and, as if her arm moved on it's own, the blade swung forward, slicing through the two nearest Shadows, and they disintegrated.

Megan couldn't help but give a cocky smirk as she leapt to her feet. Suddenly, Darkside didn't seem as threatening.

She mowed her way through the Shadow horde, leaping in to the air to deliver a powerful flurry at Darkside. It roared in pain, raised its massive hand, and slammed it into the ground.

Megan was nearly knock over by the resulting shockwave, but she quickly regained her balance and move to strike at the Darkside's hand, which was still pressed to the ground. "Not so tough, now, are you?" She asked under her breath.

_Much to be done_. Megan flinched slightly as the voice whispered in her head from nowhere, but it the course of the night, shadows had come to life to kill her, her two best friends had disappeared, and a mysterious, and seriously cool, weapon had appeared out of nowhere. So, voices in her head weren't _that_ nerve-wracking.

_So little time to do it._ Megan panted a little as she brought Serene Grace down on another Shadow, and shifted her attention back to Darkside.

_But, no worries. Life starts at midnight._

Pushing off from the ground with newfound strength, the honey-haired heroine stepped gracefully on to Darkside's arm, and kicked off again, soaring straight for its head. _You hold the greatest light of all._

Megan touched down lightly on Darkside's shoulder. _So, remember…_

"Game over." Megan whispered, and swung Serene Grace in a complete circle, grinning triumphantly as she felt it make contact. _Don't be afraid._

Darkside reared back as in bellow out in defeat. Megan stumbled slightly, and fell from her perch beside its head. She flipped in mid-air, managing to land on her feet, surprisingly. The Darkside sunk slowly into the ground, the Shadows disappearing all around it.

Of course, that ridded the platform of earth Megan was standing on of the only thing that was keeping the darkness from completely destroying it, and Megan soon found it crumbling around her.

"Ah, crap." She muttered, and screamed loudly as fell towards the gaping emptiness below.

_And don't forget._

The last thing Megan remembered was a single tear seeping from her eyes as she lost consciousness.

_You are the key._

* * *

Well, there you go.

Brownie points for whoever realizes what the beginning quote is referring to. (It's a song.)

I own mostly nothing.

-Flames-thRabbit344, signing off!


End file.
